Over the last 20 years, manufacturers have had to learn to compete at the “Walmart price.” Service providers were largely unaffected. After all, you couldn’t manufacture a cab ride or a hotel room in China. How things have changed. No matter what anyone does, technology and automation are creeping into every area of business, and there are dozens of startups with the brains and funding to compete.

Every business must now learn to compete at the “Amazon price” but also at “Google speed.” In this environment, manual processes simply don’t stand a chance. You must automate or die.

Automation Isn’t Coming -- It’s Already Here

We're already using automation in our daily lives. We make travel plans online, go through automated highway toll booths, withdraw money from ATMs, deposit checks with our smartphones, check into flights at kiosks, pay for parking at a machine and on and on.

Sure, it's critical to automate your routine workflows to compete. But the decision to do so will also fundamentally change your business. We’re talking about serious efficiency improvements and literally changing how your employees will work. Instead of chasing down their PO approval, they can actually help a customer.

IT is overloaded, mobility requirements are soaring, there’s a serious skills gap, security is a concern, and data integration and scalability are challenging. It’s enough to make one's head spin. Nevertheless, you must get started today. But before you do, keep the following five things in mind:

1. Start Small But Start Now

“We always overestimate the change that will occur in the next two years and underestimate the change that will occur in the next ten. Don't let yourself be lulled into inaction.” – Bill Gates.

The best advice I can give you is to get a quick win. Don’t try to automate everything or get bogged down in IT committees. Find one everyday workflow -- ideally, it will be repetitive, with simple routing and reasonably frequent -- and gain that first success.

2. Set Goals And Don’t Be Shy

“If you don’t know where you want to go, then it doesn’t matter which path you take.” – Alice in Wonderland

The potential ROI of automating routine workflows is astounding. Shoot for at least 25% cost savings and similar productivity gains. Don’t be surprised if you end up seeing even more.